'Seized up' Wilkinson determined to face Italy

Jonny Wilkinson, who had 14 stitches inserted into a mouth wound during England's 42-20 win over Scotland on Saturday, was last night focused on making "as complete a recovery as I can" in time for the game against Italy next weekend.

The returning hero of red-rose rugby is not entirely sure how his battered and broken body will react to 78 minutes of hard international rugby. The outside-half said that "everything seized up when I came off the field".

Of his performance, Wilkinson conceded: "I'd have settled for less before kick-off. What I wanted to put together was an acceptable performance. I didn't want to go into the 'regret zone'; I can't stand having 'what ifs' in my head, things that keep me awake until five in the morning."